It’s likely that we’ve all had someone in our working lives that lives in a frenzy. They are constantly juggling 100 different things and reacting to all of it, all at once. In a matter of minutes, they can email, text AND Skype you, needing your immediate attention on something that feels urgent but in the big scheme of things really isn’t. They read information coming in with half their attention and quickly disseminate to the next victim at a speed that puts Nascar to shame. In meetings they are distracted, either pounding away at their keyboard while pretending to know everything that’s being said or allowing their mind to wander while they solve all the world’s problems behind the scenes instead of focusing on the one at hand. They start each year with a few goals, stating cleanly that this is the year we will be focused, only to add to the list continuously until there are lists and lists of priorities and they are saying for yet another year in a row, “we just need to get through this quarter”.
And what happens when this frenzied leader is you?
It’s easy to blame it on the organization’s culture or the people above you, but how you show up and set the tone for your organization determines how the work gets done and the quality of that work. Do you want a barely engaged staff that simply checks the box before moving on to the next item, still in a daze from the previous or do you want an engaged and present staff that has enough creativity left after crushing the biggest priorities to also move the business forward?
I get it. I love to execute with speed and volume. I naturally move fast and pride myself on being able to handle many things at once. I was the girl who worked a full time job and went to grad school, with a newborn at home and all while managing the cultural impact of a large divestiture. I can do volume. But it’s the energy that you bring to that volume that will determine how you feel about the work – either leading you to burnout or allowing you to enjoy the process.
The frenzied leader is on a one way track to burnout. In this state, you bounce between not caring at all to overthinking everything because you don’t trust yourself or your staff. You live in a closed off and pressured state with a constant hum of “I just have to get through the day/this week/this month/this quarter”. Actions are forced with the thinking that if you can just power through, there will miraculously be freedom at the end of this incessant haul. But the freedom is always replaced with a new project or daily fires that surprisingly catch you off guard and even though it’s the same thing day in and day out, you are once again reacting to the task at hand.
There is another way. It isn’t a magic potion that makes the work disappear, but you can change the energy you bring, which in turn sets a different tone and definitely causes less suffering.
Moving into a state of flow requires that you stop numbing yourself to everything around you and get fully present in the work. No more multi-tasking your way through the day’s events. Each meeting, assignment and task is taken with intention. Before reaching out to someone, you know exactly why you are doing it and what you need from them. Think, then act…not the reverse. Work hours are defined as such and down time is scheduled for you and your employees. It doesn’t matter where it falls, lunch time, after hours, or weekends…you know the value of disconnecting and allowing your nervous system to recover from the work. At the same time, you connect with the people around you because your mind is in the conversation and the task at hand, not elsewhere. Doing this, also allows you to align with those around you. Because you’re tuned into the conversation, you ask more questions and notice more. You can recognize who isn’t engaged or doesn’t understand what is needed before it’s too late. When surprises do happen, you start to recognize patterns and adjust quickly due to heightened awareness. You enter a state where work can actually be enjoyed, regardless of results, because the process of doing the work gives you the dopamine hits that your brain so desperately wants. Connection, celebration, and rest is suddenly built into your daily schedule.
Achieving this state is a daily and sometimes hourly or minute by minute commitment. The temptation to slide back into old habits of reactivity will be strong, especially when those around you continue to live it. Keep reminding yourself that the energy and mindset you bring to your work is a choice that only you get to make. And if more people choose to live their life in a state of presence and focused attention, think of what a difference that would make for all of us.